What a prestige chalet costs
The ranges we see for a new build, excluding VAT and land:
- Megève: from €5,500 to €8,400 per square metre,
- Courchevel: from €6,800 to €10,500 per square metre.
The difference comes first from altitude. At 1,850 metres, every day on site costs more, supplies are harder to organise and some oversized parts sometimes have to be flown in by helicopter.
The building season
In Courchevel, the working window runs from May to October. A structural phase that slips by a few weeks can push weatherproofing to the following year. We therefore prefabricate the roof frame and the technical modules in the workshop, so that the season is spent only on assembly.
In Megève, a little lower, the constraint is less severe, but winter access and winterising the site are planned from the start.
Snow, avalanches and structure
Snow loads depend on the altitude and exposure of the plot: in Courchevel, they commonly reach around 3.2 kN per square metre. In the areas concerned, the natural-hazard prevention plan governs siting and sizing. These figures feed into the structural studies from the sketch, not at permit stage.
What the local plan asks for
Both towns closely regulate the appearance of buildings:
- roof pitches and materials,
- the proportion of stone and wood on the facades,
- volumes and heights,
- integration into the landscape, especially on Mont d’Arbois.
A contemporary chalet remains possible, provided it engages with tradition rather than contradicting it.
Performance and comfort
The RE2020 regulation applies to every new build. At altitude we aim higher: a highly insulated envelope, geothermal energy and heat recovery sharply reduce consumption and keep comfort constant when the outside temperature drops.